While Fox has renewed American Idol for next season, the fate of its contentious talent judges — Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson — and hosts Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman appears unclear. So what's the deal — will they all come back for American Idol 2?

"The deal is, there is no deal," Seacrest tells TV Guide Online. "As far as I know, there's no deal that's been done. Right now, to be honest and candid, I'm focused on getting to the end of this series and hopefully finding who we think is going to be the next big thing in pop music. I think a lot of whether we do American Idol 2 rides on the success of what comes out of American Idol 1. When this is over, we need to have a superstar — somebody that stays at the top of the charts and becomes a very rich and famous pop idol.

While Jackson tells us it's "very likely" they'll all be back for the second edition, surly Simon remains unsure. How did he feel about Fox entertainment president Gail Berman's reluctance to confirm his future as an Idol judge Sunday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif., considering it's basically his show?

"It's not my show as such," Cowell responds, grinning. "I have the winner signed to my record label. I am employed by my record label to sign [artists] to the label. Now, if the Americans do well over here, then I can argue that my time was well spent. So, it's not quite as simple as 'Do they want me to do it? Do I want to do it?' I'm not actually totally free to make that decision."

Would Cowell mind the show going on without him? Surely, fans of his feisty criticisms would miss the meanie. "The [winner's] still signed to my record label," he says. "It doesn't make any difference to me. It has been a total blast being over here. I've had a hilarious time hanging out in L.A." He adds that "if I didn't do it, I would leave [selecting next season's judges] entirely up to" the network.

Meanwhile, Abdul says she's also had a great time on Idol, but drops hints that she soon might be too busy with her own career to judge wannabe Whitneys. "It would be silly if I didn't do something for myself in the musical arena after this show, because it's what people want," she says. "I'm sure that I will do that.